Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas' Palestinian Authority said on Friday it will not deal with the new Israeli government if it is not committed to peace. "We will not deal with the Israeli government unless it accepts a two-state solution and accepts to halt settlements and to respect past accords," Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said, according to AFP. These comments came after Israeli President Shimon Peres invited Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu to his office in Jerusalem in order to charge him with the task of formation a new government.

In the Gaza Strip, Hamas claimed Israel had picked "the most extremist and most dangerous" politician to lead the country. The choice of Netanyahu "does not herald a period or peace or stability in the region," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said.